Srinagar: Two persons including a woman were killed and seven others wounded when Army opened fire, after allegedly being attacked with stones by an irate crowd at Qazigund, the gateway to Kashmir Valley from the south, on Monday evening. With these fatal injuries, the death toll in security forces’ firings and other actions during the days of turbulence in the Valley has risen to 43.
The J&K government earlier during the day said that as many as 2,125 people have been injured in the incidents of violence reported till 11 am on Monday. One policeman has also been killed and CRPF and J&K police have said that over 1,550 of their men received injuries in mob violence.
Police sources in Srinagar said that the troops of 9 Rashtriya Rifles on board Aditya MVP, Casper or Casspir armoured vehicle in their use for providing increased protection during counterinsurgency operations, were attacked by the protesters with stones at Churhat, Qazigund. The troops opened fire killing a protester Showkat Ahmed, 25, and a 45-year-old woman passerby Saida Begum and wounding seven other civilians, three of them critically, the sources said. Qazigund, 73-km south of here, is the last town along Srinagar-Jammu highway within Kashmir Valley, the 294-km hilly road which connects it with Jammu region and beyond it with rest of the country.
Read: Kashmir violence: J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti calls all-party meeting
A statement on the incident issued by J&K police here said, “Today evening an Army mobile domination patrol party while moving towards Devsar tried to clear a road blockade erected by miscreants at Churhat Qazigund. The Army party while removing the obstructions came under heavy stone pelting by the miscreants from two sides. It warned the mob to maintain distance but it did not relent”. The statement added, “Some miscreants tried to snatch weapons from them and tried to set ablaze the vehicles. Despite repeated warnings the mob did not disperse and Army fired in self defence in an effort to move out from the spot. Six persons were injured and two of them later succumbed to their injuries”.
A report from Pulwama district, also in south of the Valley, said that five protesters received injuries in pellet gun fire by police during a protest in the area. Police said “stray incidents of stone pelting” were reported also from Hajin in Bandipora, Gogloosa Payeen in Kupwara, Kondbal, Mansbal in Ganderbal, Batamaloo in Srinagar and Khrew in Pulwara district.
“A few persons and J&K police and CRPF personnel were injured in these incidents. A base-camp store of potato seeds at Wouhlutra, Rafiaabad (Baramulla district) belonging to J&K Agriculture Department was set on fire by miscreants,” the statement issued by the police here said.
Regarding the media gag, the State government seems to be on the backfoot. Chief Minister’s advisor Amitabh Matoo’s stated here on Monday that there is no ban as such on publication of newspapers in the Valley and that the Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, was not aware of any media gag from the government. Following this, the editors of the Srinagar newspapers have announced they would be meeting in Srinagar on Tuesday to take a call.
